Sports Fan Blogs

Fastball Performance

If I told you that the 2009 Brewers pitching staff threw the fastball less frequently than all other NL teams, was slower than all other NL fastballs (except the Phillies), and was ahead of only Pittsburgh and Washington in terms of run value, you probably would not be surprised. I imagine that the combination of junkball pitchers and overall pitching performance in 2009 leads fans to conclude that their fastballs weren't that good.

Despite the acquisition of LaTroy Hawkins and Randy Wolf (and perhaps due to the acquisition of Doug Davis), the 2010 Brewers pitching staff features the slowest fastball in the NL. Only the Cubs and Cardinals rely on the fastball less frequently. Only the Dodgers and Pirates have performed worse with their fastballs.

What really surprised me is just how bad the Brewers' fastball performance is thus far: at -15.5 wFB through April 25, the Brewers pitching staff is starting out poorly with the pitch, which is surprisingly contrary to how the season progressed in 2009. Recall that the Brewers' pitching woes did not start (roughly) until June and July; in March and April of 2009, the Brewers actually featured an above average fastball. With a few games remaining in April this season, the Brewers' are actually close to posting a fastball performance that is worse than any month in 2009; the -15.5 wFB mark trails only June 2009 (-17.9 wFB) and July 2009 (-19.7 wFB).

Given that the Brewers worked to improve the rotation in the off-season, and also added bullpen depth, it surprises me that they started this season so poorly. However, behind these numbers, don't forget the Brewers' fielding thus far. After Sunday's rout, the Brewers' FIP for their entire staff sits at 4.77, with an ERA at 5.30. The fact that the ERA is higher by that margin suggests that the Brewers' fielders are responsible for allowing 9 more ER than the pitchers should have allowed, given their ratio of strike outs, walks, and home runs. I am posting these numbers to suggest that we don't blame the Brewers' fastball performance entirely on the pitchers, and also to suggest that although the team is pitching at a below average level, we shouldn't be surprised if they improve.